Cessna 182 accident near Austin, Texas, April 1, 2021
On April 1, 2021 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 182, registered N94810, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Austin, Texas (Austin-Bergstrom Intl Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while turning onto the taxiway in variable wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 1, 2021 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Austin, Texas · Austin-Bergstrom Intl Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 Q, built 1978 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N94810 · registry record · serial 18266515
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that following his uneventful landing in variable and gusty wind conditions and as he was about to make a 120-degree left turn to exit the runway onto the taxiway, the airplane would not straighten despite rudder and brake inputs. The airplane continued the left turn and exited the taxiway into the grass and struck a taxiway sign. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector conducted a postaccident examination of the airplane’s brake system and reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operations. At the time of the accident, the pilot was making the turn off runway 35R with wind from 040o at 7 knots. However, during the previous hour the wind was variable from 140o to 240o creating the potential for windshear.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during taxi (from runway) defining event
- Other weather encounter during taxi (from runway)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi (from runway)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Windshear › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,441 hours in all; 321 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 3,400 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 31, 2019
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,213 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors O-470 SERIES (piston); 2,213 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2KL Sunrise Beach Village TX at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35R, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.52 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from AUS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 12, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Email - FAA Inspector Regarding Airplane Damage and Examination | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Email - NTSB Meteorologist | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N94810 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,834 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental Motors O-470 SERIES 12,780 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Austin-Bergstrom International · nearest airport
- Sunrise Beach Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,063 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,976 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN21LA178.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.